Chapter 72
“Huh?”
Dongryong tilted his head as he read the letter.
He was probably reading the part about the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult peacefully resolving their conflict in Qinghai.
“Did you read it all?”
“…Yes.”
Dongryong handed the letter back to me and asked, his face full of doubt.
“…It looks like the Demonic Cult and the Murim Alliance reconciled well?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why did you have such a worried expression?”
“…Haa.”
I let out a sigh and tried to explain it to Dongryong. But before I could open my mouth, Dongryong smacked his Palm, as if he’d figured it out.
“Ah! I know. Leader, were you perhaps hoping for the Righteous-Demonic War to break out? As expected of our Leader…, Ack-!”
“You idiot, ah fuck, I’m a retard for making such a dimwit Deputy Leader. Am I a Warmonger? You think I’d set out a bowl of water and pray to the heavens for a war to break out?”
Frustrated, I threw the letter and smacked him with it. Dongryong grabbed his head and asked with an aggrieved look.
“No, then why…”
“Between the Demonic Cult and the Murim Alliance, which side gained practical benefits from this incident?”
“Huh? That’s… Hmm…”
Dongryong couldn’t easily answer my question.
And rightfully so, because neither side benefited from this conflict.
The Murim Alliance had its pride crushed when a Sect Leader of the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance lost his right arm, and the Heavenly Demon Cult revealed its strength, causing the Murim Alliance to strengthen its borders.
“The Demonic Cult committed this act knowing it would also suffer a loss. What could be the reason?”
“…I wouldn’t know that.”
“Not knowing that is the problem.”
The Heavenly Demon Cult was always a bastard whose thoughts were a mystery, but this time was especially severe.
After living quietly for hundreds of years, they suddenly committed an overly radical act then calmed down like a patient after a manic episode and signed a Peace Treaty.
They are bastards who are calmly insane, choosing to live with bated breath for hundreds of years just to wait for the right time.
Why did those bastards who were calmly insane do something they didn’t even do in the original work?
‘Could it be…, because of our Green Forest…?’
…In reality, our Green Forest is the only one that gained practical benefits from this incident.
Only bad thoughts kept popping into my head. What if those bastards figured out my whereabouts in this far-off South?
What if…
‘There might be a spy from the Demonic Cult hiding in our Green Forest…’
“Leader.”
“…!”
…It was Dongryong’s voice that pulled me out when I was about to fall into a Heart Demon.
Dongryong looked at me with a sullen expression and continued.
“Whatever the case, Leader, you don’t exactly know why those Demonic Cult bastards did such a thing either, right?”
“…right.”
“Will racking your brain over something you don’t know give you an answer? Just teach us the Saber Art!”
“…”
…What kind of stupid talk was this?
Generally, when faced with a problem with no known answer, one should ponder until a proper solution emerges.
But right now, Dongryong was saying he didn’t care about any of that and just wanted me to teach him the Saber Art.
What a foolish thing to say… yet at the same time, it was something only a Bandit would say.
‘Yeah, fuck. Since when have I been a smart person…’
Didn’t I choose to become a Bandit because I wanted to live comfortably without worries or concerns?
It’s funny to worry about the aftermath and fret over the Heavenly Demon Cult now.
And if I’m really worried about those guys, our Green Forest just needs to become that much stronger.
Only after hearing Dongryong’s words did I feel like my mind was clearing up.
“Alright, you bastards. All executives, grab your sabers and follow me. If you want it that much, I’ll teach you.”
“Yes!”
Yeah, let’s just live like bandits, ignorantly and simply.
Without worries or concerns.
* * *
With that, the Executives all grabbed their respective weapons and followed me to the Open Space I called them to.
Bongchun, who went to Unify the Demonic Path, was excluded. I’d have to teach Bongchun separately later.
Perhaps nervous at the thought of learning new teachings, the executives all had slightly stiff expressions.
‘There’s really no need for that…’
Anyway, in the solemn atmosphere, I also started speaking to them in a slightly subdued voice.
“First, before we begin, I have something to say… Youngest and Jeokyeom.”
“Yes, elder brother.”
“Yes, Leader.”
The two people I called raised their hands in confusion.
“What I’m going to teach you is a Saber Art starting today. But you guys don’t use sabers.”
“Ah…”
Youngest is almost the only one in our Mountain Stronghold who uses a Sword, and Jeokyeom uses an axe.
The difference between an axe and a Saber goes without saying, and while a Sword and a Saber might look like similar weapons, there are quite a few differences.
“T-then, are we unable to learn…?”
Perhaps feeling that he might not be able to learn Martial Arts, Jeokyeom asked me with a trembling voice. I patted Jeokyeom’s shoulder and continued.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll modify the Saber Art into a Sword Art and an Axe Art to teach you.”
“Ah…”
“Um, elder brother!”
It was then.
The youngest raised his hand with a bright smile and spoke to me.
“Could you just teach me the Saber Art?”
“Hmm?”
Looking closely now, the weapon hanging at Youngest’s waist wasn’t a Sword, but a Saber.
“Huh? Where did you get a Saber? You’re a Swordsman.”
“Even so, I want to learn the Saber Art from you, elder brother!”
“…Are you just going to use a Saber from now on?”
“Not that I want to use both at the same time. I’m going to do Left Sword, Right Saber.”
“Left Sword, Right Saber, my ass.”
What is this, dual wielding?
As expected, he hasn’t been able to break away from the flashiness of outward appearances yet, perhaps because Youngest is still young.
“If that goes wrong, you’ll just end up being neither here nor there. Choose only one of the two: Sword and Saber.”
“I…, I can do both…! Can’t I do both…?”
“Haa…”
With Youngest pleading, I couldn’t speak firmly anymore and had no choice but to fall into thought.
I definitely… have a bit of a soft spot for Youngest. To be exact, all my Subordinates actually find Youngest cute, but I seem to be more so.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I eventually nodded.
“Alright…, then you have to put in twice as much effort as the others. Even then, if it really doesn’t seem to work, you’ll have to choose between the Sword and the Saber later.”
“Yes! I’ll work hard! Hehe.”
When I finally agreed, Youngest grinned foolishly as if he felt good. Seeing that, I also smiled briefly before asking everyone.
“Guys, how did I make you do Training back in Shanxi?”
“You taught us a Cultivation Method…, taught us Physical Training…”
“And?”
“You beat the shit out of us, saying you were developing our combat sense…”
Grind-.
Bangsam ground his teeth as he answered like that.
Haha, son of a bitch. That bastard is definitely going to stab me in the back someday.
Tap.
I gripped Bangsam’s shoulder and continued.
“…It breaks my heart that our Bangsam seems to have misunderstood my deep intentions.”
“…Ahaha, does your heart hurt, Leader? My shoulder is starting to hurt…, if you could just ease up on your grip a little…, Uwaaah-!”
“From now on, I’m going to teach you two Saber arts over 100 days.”
Actually, there are a few more above that, but it’s still too early for the guys.
“Does anyone know the characteristics of my Martial Arts?”
“Um…, isn’t it strong…, and sharp?”
The answer Dongryong gave while hesitating was a somewhat accurate description.
However, it could be described as tyrannical, to put it in more specific, clearer terms.
My Martial Arts are overwhelming for the opponent, but they are also incredibly overwhelming for the user to execute.
Without innate senses and familiar experience, there’s a chance you won’t be able to use it in actual combat even if you learn it well.
“The reason I treated you harshly while Sparring all this time was that my Martial Arts values Combat Experience and senses above all else.”
“…Bullshit.”
THWACK-!!!
“Kuaaaaaaah-!!”
As soon as I heard the curse, I immediately swung my Saber, scabbard and all, and smacked Bangsam.
I saw everyone’s bodies stiffen at what happened in the blink of an eye.
I enjoyed the sight of my Subordinates like that and continued speaking.
“From now on, we’ll divide the 100 days into three parts. One day, we’ll all build up our External Cultivation together. The next day, I’ll personally teach you the stances of the Saber Art. And the remaining day…”
“…”
“…You’ll be Sparring with me using the Saber Art you learned like this.”
“…”
Dongryong watched Bangsam, who was collapsed on the ground and trembling, before carefully raising his hand.
“Um, Leader…”
“Yeah, Dongryong.”
“Well…, our level is noticeably lower than yours, Leader, isn’t it? If we spar with you like that, we’ll just get beaten to a pulp…”
“As expected of Deputy Leader Dongryong. You hit the nail on the head. Yeah, you’re going to get beaten to a pulp. Take the beatings with a grateful heart.”
“…Fuck, what kind of barbaric…”
“Then fuck, are we some righteous Sect Members, to train while laughing merrily, sweating beads, and feeling a rewarding sense of accomplishment? Dongryong, wake up. This isn’t the Hebei Peng Family.”
“…”
“I learned by getting hit too. Dongryong, just resign yourself and get beaten to a pulp. If you get beaten half to death until you’re about to make eye contact with Guan Yin Bodhisattva, you’ll be able to gain some level of enlightenment.”
This was the truth.
From experience, if you get beaten to death, you start to get a feel for my Martial Arts to some extent.
“Only now do I realize my Master’s feelings… He was forcing himself to beat his Disciple like a dog while clutching his achingly painful heart…”
“…You’re smiling, fuck.”
“Dongryong, are you speaking informally to me?”
When I pointed my Saber toward my Subordinates, Dongryong also smirked even as his body trembled.
“Provoke the opponent before fighting. I learned this from you. You bastard who’s even younger than me…”
“You learned well. I’m fucking pissed right now.”
With those words, I leaped toward them.
Seeing that, Dongryong screamed at the Subordinates at the top of his lungs.
“…Everyone, raise your weapons! Think of him as that bastard Dokgoyeong instead of the Leader and beat the shit out of him!”
“Waaaaaah-!”
At Dongryong’s shout, the Subordinates all raised their weapons high with tense expressions. Truly, seeing that sight…
‘It’s thrilling.’
I only realize it now.
I didn’t know when I was on the receiving end, but this was a truly enjoyable thing.
‘I’ll teach you properly, you bastards.’
For their sake, I gritted my teeth and hardened my resolve even more.
Since they said they would think of me as Dokgoyeong, I planned to treat them as such and face them.
“Everyone, understand this. Originally, it’s Training because it hurts.”
“Then you should hurt a lot too, you bastard!”
First of all, I need to reestablish the hierarchy.
SMACK-!
Dongryong’s jaw snapped back after being hit by my Saber, and the 100 days of Hell began.